Passengers won't stand for Ryanair's 'vertical seats'

Four out of five budget travellers are unwilling to stand on Ryanair flights, new research by flight deals publisher Cheapflights.co.uk reveals.

Ryanair's pledge to sell standing tickets has been widely dismissed by the travelling public, according to an online survey by Cheapflights.co.uk.

Europe's most controversial carrier last month unveiled plans to remove ten rows of seating from its Boeing 737 planes and replace them with standing cabins, insisting that the move has the backing of two-thirds of its customers. But when Cheapflights.co.uk polled 554 budget travellers about the scheme it found that just 20 per cent of respondents (112 people) were in favour.

A more substantial 37 per cent (205 people) said they would not fly in the seats due to concerns about their personal safety. And in a sign that many travellers have grown weary of the airline's publicity stunts, some 43 per cent (237 people) gave no verdict at all, insisting they simply "ignore everything Ryanair says".

Scepticism has been fuelled by the fact that Spring Airlines – the low-cost carrier which originally surfaced the idea of standing cabins – has since admitted they are unworkable.

The European Aviation Safety Authority (EASA) imposes strict regulations over airline seats, including the need for adequate restraints and the ability to withstand a force of 16 Gs. Both the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) and Boeing, Ryanair's own aircraft manufacturer, have indicated vertical seating would not comply.

Cheapflights.co.uk conducted its survey between 1 and 18 July 2010, asking visitors to its news blog "Would you fly in Ryanair's 'vertical seats'?". For a complete breakdown of the results visit Polldaddy.

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